In general, a vehicle door enables the driver or passenger to get on or off a vehicle and includes a door hinge, a door lock, a door checker, a window regulator and the like. Among these working components, the door lock functions to lock the vehicle door by engaging a door latch and a striker. The driver or passenger employs a vehicle key, a remotely controlled actuator (i.e., a remote control), a locking door handle or the like in order to latch or unlatch a door latch assembly, so that the door is not opened easily even though the door handle, i.e., an inside door or outside door handle, is actuated from the inside or outside of the vehicle.
However, the conventional door latch assembly has the following problem. In the case when the latched door latch assembly is released using a car key or a remote control and when an outside or inside door handle is pulled toward an operator in advance of the manual actuation of the car key or remote control to open the door, or is actuated in advance prior to the completion of the unlatching of the door latch assembly, a so-called “jam” may occur.
Of course, when the jam occurs, in order to unlock and open the door, the driver or passenger must re-unlatch the door latch assembly using a car key or a remote control by pulling the outside door handle pulled toward himself or herself go to its original position, and then pull the door outside handle toward himself or herself.
However, frequent occurrence of this type of jam may result in a degradation in the vehicle's quality and reliability. In addition, a user is inconvenienced by repeatedly manipulating the door latch assembly such as latching and unlatching of the door latch assembly.
There is, therefore, a need for an improved approach to these deficiencies.